Sustainability
Oxford Metrics is committed to working ethically and in an environmentally and socially responsible way, and we believe sustainable working practices are an important enabler of our growth strategy. Whilst we are already taking several positive steps, we recognise the need, and are committed, to doing more.
Our approach to sustainability is aligned with our growth strategy and embedded across the Group. We continue to strengthen our sustainability framework as our business evolves, ensuring that newly acquired businesses are integrated into our governance, risk management, cybersecurity, people, and operational standards.
We continue to advance our environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities. This included enhancing supply chain oversight, supporting employee wellbeing and development, improving the sustainability of our products and operations, and maintaining robust governance and information security practices. We have also continued to develop our understanding of our environmental footprint and the opportunities available to reduce it over time.
What is Oxford Metrics doing today?
Environmental
- Implementation of sustainable packaging solutions
- Continued transition to fully recyclable product components
- Support longevity of product - seven years hardware support post last sale and software support for life
- WEEE authorised - Vicon & IVMS products are recycled with waste disposed appropriately at end-of-life
- RoHS compliant - no hazardous materials in Vicon products
- Use UK suppliers where possible
- Sourcing of local and reusable material for exhibition operations, where practicable
- Reducing paper use in own operations and customers
- Reporting our carbon footprint in line with the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Framework
Social
- Mental health support available for all permanent staff
- Real Living Wage Foundation accredited
- Hybrid and flexible working where appropriate
- Investment in employee development
- Zero tolerance approach to modern slavery, child labour and human trafficking in our supply chain
- Perform on-site due diligence visits with high-risk Vicon suppliers
Governance
- Gender diverse Board
- Majority independent Board
- Robust anti bribery and whistleblowing policies
- Bottom-up risk management framework
- Robust cyber and information security framework with full time ISO
- Vicon and Industrial Vision Systems Cyber Essentials certificated
- Vicon is Quality Management ISO certified - 9001, 13485
- Board level accountability for ESG
Our team
Our team is the lifeblood of our business, they drive day-to-day operations and contribute their diverse skills, experiences, and passion to fuel our growth and long-term success. The success of our business depends on having engaged and dedicated employees. This is reflected in our very high retention rate, above 80% globally, of which we are very proud. This compares favourably when benchmarked to sector.
Our employees are respected
We recognise the value of our team, and we provide our employees with a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. All our employees are paid the real living wage and we have achieved Living Wage Foundation accreditation across all UK entities. We encourage open communication with all employees, hold regular staff briefings, and we also engage all our employees anonymously on important topics, seeking input on matters that affect them.
Our employees are safe
All staff have access to a confidential mental health support programme, and we have a robust and externally audited physical health and safety framework. We closely monitor injury data which is reported to the Board as part of their oversight of health and safety.
Our employees grow with us
Progression is encouraged at Oxford Metrics. As we scale our organisation, we want our staff to grow with us. We have several great role models in leadership roles who showcase successful personal growth within the company. In addition to advertising open positions internally before recruiting externally, we support the team in their professional development and qualifications, with the company supporting numerous employees in completing leadership apprenticeships and further professional qualifications. This support includes financial support for the fees associated with such qualifications, as well as paid study leave..
Our employees are diverse
We have an inclusive culture at Oxford Metrics, and we are proud of our diverse workforce, up to and including our Board of Directors. We monitor gender and age diversity across the Group. Flexibility is an important enabler of diversity and we continue to offer flexibility in our core working hours. This, combined with our existing hybrid working model, provides our employees with autonomy in their working life, which supports us in expanding the diversity of our workforce.
Our customers
Our pioneering, reliable and high-performing products, and our collaborative approach with customers, are critical enablers of our five-year growth strategy. We are proud of our high level of repeat customers.
Our products are built to the highest quality
We employ a robust quality management system across the group and Vicon, as our largest business, is ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified. Quality management at Oxford Metrics follows strict criteria to establish processes that ensure consistent product, service quality, customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.
Our products are safe
Vicon products are Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant, meaning that our cameras are free of hazardous substances, safeguarding the health of our customers, and the environment. We continue taking steps to align IVMS to the same RoHS standards and will engage with suppliers to this end.
Our products are built to last
We support all our hardware products during market-life and for at least an additional seven years after the last product is sold. We provide software support for the life of our customers’ systems.
We collaborate with our customers
To reach new markets and widen the benefits of our product capabilities to society, we are working together with customers and embedding our intellectual property into their products. Customers also play an important role in our R&D process, with a feedback mechanism in place between our customer support and product teams.
Our operations
As a manufacturer of electronic products, we understand the importance of environmental and social sustainability within our own operations and our supply chain. We continue to take steps to reduce our impact on the environment from redesigning our products and transforming our operational processes.
We use recyclable packaging when appropriate
We are committed to removing non-recyclable materials from our product packaging and continue to do so where practicable. Where it has not been possible to remove non-recyclable material from suppliers yet, we attempt to re-use these packaging elements downstream to our customers. We have adopted a packaging consolidation approach which reduces the number of distinct packaging boxes required to be produced for our products.
We are increasing the reusability of our products
We have already made design changes to our products and packaging to reduce the use of non-recyclable material. We continue to challenge ourselves on how we can improve this, where safe and practicable.
We reduce waste and maximise recovery of valuable resources from our products
As an authorised Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling Company, any end-of-life waste is managed in accordance with local regulations, minimising the environmental impact of our products.
We are redesigning our exhibition operations
We continue to reduce our dependency on shipping by using local materials and suppliers for trade exhibitions and have redesigned our exhibition stands to promote reuse and recycling.
We are building an understanding of our supply chain sustainability
We are committed to best practices across our supply chain. As part of our supplier due diligence, assess the environmental and social impact of our supply chain, including human rights, modern slavery and child labour, environmental, health and safety, and quality assurance, and obtain appropriate assurance and undertakings from our suppliers. We use UK suppliers where possible and conduct onsite due diligence visits with key suppliers in higher-risk locations. Our Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement is reviewed annually, available on our website and has been sent to all our suppliers to confirm adherence.
We are building an understanding of our carbon footprint
We continue to report our carbon footprint with methodology consistent with the UK’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) regulation. As our business has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, our overall carbon footprint has evolved accordingly. We continue to report our emissions transparently while seeking opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of the Group, where practicable.
Our governance
Good corporate governance is an important driver in the success of our business. We have adopted the 2023 QCA Code as our recognised corporate governance code for purposes of AIM Rule 27.
Our board is diverse
Our majority independent Board is gender diverse (50% female) with a broad range of backgrounds and experience, fostering multiple perspectives that enable us to be agile in the face of change, anticipate and respond to risks and opportunities, and to execute the strategy successfully.
Our board is accountable for ESG
To ensure ESG underpins our wider business plan and is embedded across the Group, the Board takes accountability for oversight of the Group’s ESG activities.
We have a robust risk management framework
The Board has embedded an effective, bottom-up approach to risk identification and management, which identifies, evaluates and manage the opportunities and risks inherent in our strategy and business plan. Please see our Annual Report for more detail on our approach to risk management.
Information and cyber security are a priority
Both Vicon and Industrial Vision Systems are Cyber Essentials certified. A dedicated Information Security Officer responsible for implementing our control framework which includes email scanning, multi-factor authentication, threat detection software, staff awareness training to strengthen our human firewall, as well as internal and third-party penetration testing and regular back-up and recovery testing.
Maintaining compliance with evolving ESG regulations
As our business continues to grow and develop, we are committed to maintaining a robust approach to ESG governance, transparency and compliance. We will continue to strengthen our reporting processes, improve the quality and consistency of ESG-related data across the Group, and ensure that we meet all applicable regulatory requirements. Beyond compliance, we aim to embed responsible and sustainable business practices into our operations, supporting long-term value creation for our customers, employees, shareholders and wider stakeholders.
Cyber Essentials, ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 are applicable to our Vicon division only.
